Laguna, Dana Point get millions in grants for shuttles

Laguna Beach and Dana Point were approved for transportation grants by the Orange County Transportation Authority.

The OCTA awarded funding from Measure M – a half-cent sales tax that supports local transit – to both coastal cities for "trolley" shuttle systems.

Laguna Beach, which has had a free trolley for more than 10 years, is using its $3.61 million grant to expand its service in the summer festival season and in the offseason, with service in the spring and winter.

Dana Point will use its $2.45 million grant to operate summer trolleys on weekends on Pacific Coast Highway and along the harbor. Money also will go toward a special-event shuttle during the Festival of Whales.

"We are thrilled to partner with cities to provide additional transit services for our growing communities," OCTA Chairman Greg Winterbottom said in a statement. "These dollars will allow cities to operate new services that best fit the needs of their residents."

The funding includes capital or operating costs for seven years. The services will begin next year, OCTA said.